Under the Moonlight

Director: Tonny Trimarsanto
Release Year: 2023

"Under the Moonlight," directed by Tonny Trimarsanto, is a powerful and moving documentary that delves deep into the lives of transgender individuals in Indonesia. Released in 2023, the film offers an intimate look at the experiences of transgender people living at an Islamic boarding school in Yogyakarta. This school, which serves as a sanctuary for its transgender students, provides them with a rare opportunity to live openly and authentically in a society where their identities are often rejected, vilified, and even criminalized.

Ludruk Dahulu, Kini, dan Nanti

Director: Reni Apriliana
Release Year: 2022

In 2022, Reni Apriliana’s documentary Ludruk Dahulu, Kini, dan Nanti explores the enduring legacy and current struggles of Ludruk Tobong, a traditional theatrical art form from East Java, Indonesia. The documentary not only sheds light on the importance of preserving this form of cultural expression but also delves into the broader social issues that intersect with it.

Wariazone

Directors: Kiwa and Terje Toomistu
Release Year: 2011

Wariazone, a documentary directed by Kiwa and Terje Toomistu, offers a compelling and nuanced exploration of gender identity, politics, and social freedom in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation. The film delves into the lives of warias - a term coined from the combination of wanita (woman) and pria (man), used to describe male-to-female transgender individuals in Indonesia. In a cultural context where gender identity often intersects with religious conservatism and rigid moral constructs, Wariazone highlights the challenges faced by the transgender community in Indonesia. It explores how warias, once seen as sacred or accepted in certain cultural traditions, have now become marginalized, stigmatized, and relegated to the fringes of society.